Building a great database. Advocating for a better Toronto and more housing. And a lot of things in between.https://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3muclstwhpk2iGoogle Maps doesn’t say “Arunachal Pradesh (South Tibet)”, or “West Bank (Judea and Samaria)”, it correctly realizes that the name outside the parenthesis is the globally acceptable name. Why say “Lake Ontario (Lake America)” outside the US/Canada then? [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Aug 2026 14:24 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3muclstwhpk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3mu7yigr7ws2wOntario and Toronto should be making the relevant regulatory changes to legalize these ASAP. Abundant Waymos were the best part of living in SF. They’re so much safer to walk/bike/drive around than the avg car. [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Aug 2026 13:33 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu7yigr7ws2whttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3mtyqba4oek2dTo Dems: we don’t need your friendly platitudes while you continue to back protectionist tariffs like you did under Biden. We want you to come out swinging for free trade. Pitch it as helping affordability if you need to. If you won’t, your allies will continue to expand trade with China. [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 Aug 2026 16:17 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtyqba4oek2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3msocnvwsys2tPeople say “once you fly business class you don’t feel like going back to economy” but I found that to not be true at all. Instead, the flying-related comfort that’s impossible to ditch once you’re used to it, is refundable fares09 Aug 2026 19:22 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3msocnvwsys2thttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3mslkf7y7l22gThe other analysis that needs to be a part of these comparisons is that Montreal buses are just a lot less frequent. If you’re going somewhere like the Mile End, Bixi is the best way to get there. If you’re going to the Junction, the TTC is far better for most people. [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Aug 2026 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3mslkf7y7l22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3ms6cxhlidk2xThis is correct - as is evidenced by the average Amazon item being lower-quality than something that was mostly intended to be sold in a physical store. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Aug 2026 10:44 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms6cxhlidk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3ms2hnjzqvk2sMe at a No Frills in Toronto after spending ~2 years in San Francisco01 Aug 2026 21:58 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms2hnjzqvk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3mruhdsjaw22kThis is why many of us were always skeptical of demand-side housing solutions. It is ultimately just an excuse to move the goalpost and build less housing. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jul 2026 12:36 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3mruhdsjaw22khttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3lr335z2qk22iNo problem here. I was told that the right to bear arms exists specifically for standing up against tyrannical government actions like these. That will solve things very soon. [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Jun 2025 04:56 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3lr335z2qk22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3lpuyauwq3k2xAnd on top of that: Land Transfer Tax revenue is way down because people aren’t buying/selling homes as often. The property tax increase was the only good option. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 May 2025 01:22 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpuyauwq3k2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3lpiguyfass2yMy bad19 May 2025 01:40 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpiguyfass2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3lpcbntaqj22rJacob’s analysis (which you should read!) is about Edmonton, but the same pattern repeats in a lot of places: A theoretically-more-permissive zoning that then gets hampered by a litany of restrictions, each of which then necessitate site specific exceptions to get anything built [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 May 2025 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpcbntaqj22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3loized6g6s22California’s film industry thrived off of open access to world markets. You’re just inviting retaliatory tariffs on California services here, which would absolutely wreck California (as they could also apply to tech). [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 May 2025 13:45 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3loized6g6s22https://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3lm72yd3wuc26Also this argument fails a simple smell test? American cars are too large and heavy to fit in European / Japanese streets GM doesn't make a single mass-market sedan anymore! Even the Chevy Malibu has been discontinued. [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Apr 2025 03:57 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3lm72yd3wuc26https://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3llr55rfcws25“The presence of ... economists skeptical of tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, could all suddenly be considered adverse to U.S. foreign policy interests and subject to deportation based on the unilateral determination of the secretary of state,” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/us/trump-deportations-students-campus-protests.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8U4.IwMy.M6npJcTRORko&smid=url-share01 Apr 2025 14:59 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3llr55rfcws25https://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3llowlqdies2sI don't blame Kamala's loss on her/Biden as much as I blame it on state and local Democrats running anti-abundance governments and letting outcomes in their cities get worse. The only exception is Colorado, and hey, that's the only state that got bluer in 2024! [contains quote post or other embedded content]31 Mar 2025 17:56 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3llowlqdies2shttps://bsky.app/profile/itsbilal.bsky.social/post/3lloux2aqmk2dHere's something I've been a little tight-lipped about lately: I moved from Toronto to San Francisco to accept a job around the start of the year It's a decision I finalized last fall, but the ramifications of that move became clearer well after my decision given *waves arms around*31 Mar 2025 17:26 +0000at://did:plc:3vtwqe3utoqln5kfl6zceyip/app.bsky.feed.post/3lloux2aqmk2d